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12 tips on reading Body Language

Tips on reading Body Language

Our bodies have a language of their own! The body’s language comprises silent messages that a knowledgeable person can learn to read. From head to toe, our bodies are shouting even when we don’t say a word. Whether it’s a smile or a frown, or an emotional reaction like surprise, anger, and delight, it’s easy to read the body language of any person…

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Lack of crinkles: The smile is a fake

Flashing a genuine smile is nearly impossible to do on command. It's why family photos tend to look so awkward. The smile, it turns out, is all about the crow's-feet around your eyes. When you're smiling joyfully, they crinkle. When you're faking it, they don't. If someone's trying to look happy but really isn't, you won't see the wrinkles.

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Raised eyebrows: Discomfort

In the same way that real smiles shape the wrinkles around your eyes, worry, surprise or fear can cause people to raise their eyebrows in discomfort. So if someone compliments your new hairstyle or outfit with their eyebrows raised, it may not be all that sincere.

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Voice going up or down: Interested

Whether you know it or not, your vocal range shows your interest. As the song goes: "Once a conversation begins, besotted women slip into sing-songy voices, while men drop theirs an octave."

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Mirroring your body language: There’s a connection

When two people are getting along, their postures and movements mirror each other's body language. When your best friend crosses her legs, you will, too. If you're on a date that's going well, you'll both be making the same goofy hand gestures. This is because we mirror each other when we're feeling a connection.

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Eye contact: Interest, positive and negative

When you look at someone in the eyes, it sets an arousal state in the body. "Being stared at by a stranger who appears large or ominous can be seen as a threat and elicit a fearful response ...however, the gaze of a potential sexual partner causes an arousal that can be interpreted as a sexual invitation."

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Staring for too long: Lying

In an attempt to avoid looking shifty-eyed, some liars will purposefully hold their gaze a touch too long, so that it's slightly uncomfortable. They may also stand very still and not blink. These are clear signs of lying.

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Expansive pose: Power and sense of achievement

How people hold themselves is a big clue as to how they're feeling. If they're leaning back and relaxed, they feel powerful and in control. Similarly, research shows that even people born blind raise their arms in a V-shape and lift their chins slightly when they win a physical competition. On the other hand, a low-power pose is evident when someone closes up and wraps their arms around themselves.

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Crossed legs: Sign of resistance

Psychologically, crossed legs signal that a person is mentally, emotionally and physically closed off, which may mean they're less likely to budge in a negotiation.

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Laughing with you: Into you

If someone is receptive to your humour, they're likely interested in you. Humour plays a pivotal role in human development. It serves as a way of signaling a desire for a relationship, be it platonic or romantic.

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Expansive, authoritative postures: Leadership

Whether they're innate or learned, there are a number of signals and behaviours people use when they feel that they're a leader, or at least are trying to convince you that they are.

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Shaking leg: Shaky inner state

Our legs are the largest area of our body. So, when they move, it's pretty hard for others not to notice. A shaky leg signals anxiety, irritation, or both.

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Crossed arms: Defensiveness

While crossed arms typically indicate that someone is closed off, people are also more likely to cross their arms when it's cold and when their chair doesn't have an armrest. It's easy to seize on body-language cues, but it's important to be aware of the context. Be aware of the environment before making a decision or changing strategy based on these types of behaviours.